Today lets tackle a familiar data clean-up problem using Excel – Transposing data.
That is, we want to take all rows in our data & make them columns. Something like this:
The easy solution – use Paste Special > Transpose
Long time Chandoo.org readers already know this. Excel has a built-in feature that lets you transpose data with a single click.
- Just select your original data
- Press CTRL+C to copy
- Go to an empty area and open Paste Special (CTRL+ALT+V)
- Select Transpose.
- Done!
Although this approach works, it creates a copy of your original data. So whenever original numbers change, you must waste precious key strokes & time re-doing the transpose. This is exactly the opposite of awesome.
So, lets move to formulas.
Formula Solution #1 – Using INDEX & Helper cells to transpose a table
Lets say, we have named our original data as myData.
Lets also say myData has 6 rows & 7 columns. That means, the transposed table will have 7 rows & 6 columns.
- Create a 7×6 grid in your worksheet
- About this, write numbers 1 to 6 (cells D20:I20).
- Similarly, write numbers 1 to 7 beside it (cells B23:B29).
- Now use INDEX formula to transpose data like this:
- =INDEX(myData, D$20, $B23)
- Copy this formula all over and you are done!
See the illustration below to understand how this works.
Formula Solution #2 – Using INDEX formula & no helper cells
Sometimes, we cannot really use a helper column. That brings us to our next solution.
In above solution, the helper cells are giving us running numbers from 1 to 6 (and 1 to 7). We can use ROWS() and COLUMNS() formulas to generate these running numbers.
So our new formula will be
=INDEX(myData, COLUMNS($D20:D$20),ROWS($B$23:$B23))
Once you write and copy paste this formula, it will automatically supply the required numbers to INDEX formula and does the magic.
How does it work?
Well, that is for you to figure out. See this illustration to get started.
Formula Solution #3 – Using TRANSPOSE formula
Do you know there is a formula that does all of this. It is called – TRANSPOSE !!!
What is TRANSPOSE formula?
TRANSPOSE formula takes a range of values (or an array) and transposes them and returns another array.
Since this formula always returns an array, we cannot use it in one cell. But we can select a range of cells & then write TRANSPOSE in them and press CTRL+SHIFT+Enter to get the values transposed.
See this demo:
Awesome, isn’t it?
Download Transpose Example Workbook & Play with it
Click here to download the workbook containing all these technique. Play with it to understand these formulas better.
How do you transpose your data?
I prefer using INDEX with ROWS & COLUMNS approach. This is very versatile & elegant. Also this approach lets me extract only a small window of large data set (by offsetting row & column numbers with something like scroll-bar position).
What about you? Which formulas do you use to transpose your data? Please share your tips & ideas using comments.
More formulas for data massaging
If you wrestle often with data & rely on coffee to get going, then you can use some help. Go thru below articles to learn more.
22 Responses to “Master Excel 2007 Ribbon with this Free Learning Guide”
Thank you, kind sir. Well done with the baby making.
I cannot get signed up for your newsletter. I tied both this email address and churchill2001@hotmail.com. never a response.
I cannot get signed up for your newsletter. I tied both this email address and churchill2001_at_hotmail_dot_com. never a response for either attempt.
@Doug, it shows that your email address is pending verification. Can you check your inbox (and may be spam folder too) for an email from me? The subject will be "Activate Subscription to Get your Free Excel Tips E-book"
[...] PPS: If you are struggling with ribbon, you should check out ribbon learning guide. [...]
Very Useful Info..Keep it up..
@Ajay.. you are welcome 🙂
how do u download microsoft excel for free?
http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/default.aspx
Select Office
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I can't open this pdf. I get the error message:
You do not have the required license to open this file.
Please request a license from the creator of the file, and add it using the license manager and they try opening it again.
What gives??
I downloaded the file again and it worked this time. Strange. (First file was 116 KB, second was 1644 KB... ???)
[...] More ribbon goodness | Free e-book to learn Excel Ribbon [...]
Hi Chandoo,
thanks for sharing your Excel 2007 learning experience with us; unfortunately the link to the pdf of the free Excel 2007 learning guide seems broken: my Acrobate Readers flags: "Unkown file type or corrupte data".
Have a nice day
Michael
well done this is great
Can somebody just provide a link the classic TAB exportedUI files for MS Office 2003 for us to use in office 2007/2010?. searching online, everybody just wnats to make a buck online with silly Classic Tab installers which do nothing more than inport exportedUI files for you.
Don't give me a ribbon how to guide, just give me free exportedUI files. I should not have to pay anyone for this, it is free XML, MS should have included this to begin with.
thanks
Dear.
There are a set of debit values and a set ot credit values in a column. I want a vba code by whcich the debit value plus a single / multiple credit value is zero that needs to be marked .
finally i will come to know out of the avaibale debits which cannot be used the with avilable credits either single or multiple values.
If multiple matching sets are available let it take the 1st or the 2nd one its not an issue.
Column A Ref
-1000 A
-5000 B
-8000 C
800 A
100 A
100 A
2000 B
3000 B
13000
15000
hi...
how to make this add-ins and display in ribbon... check this sample : http://www.cprsoft.com/GCDemo01.htm
thank you sir...
Please tell me format painter short cut key In excel ?
Thanks In Advance
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